Rationale and design of the Japan molecular epidemiology for lung cancer study

We present the rationale for the Japan Molecular Epidemiology for Lung Cancer study designed to elucidate molecular mechanisms of carcinogenesis in smokers and never-smokers with non-small-cell lung cancer. This prospective, ongoing, multicenter study is being conducted nationwide in Japan. Although there is no doubt that active smoking is the major cause of lung cancer, the contribution of other possible factors, including environmental tobacco or wood smoke, human papilloma virus, radon, occupational exposures, and genetic susceptibility, is highly likely, based on studies of never-smokers with non-small-cell lung cancer. Because of the predominance of women in the never-smoker subgroup, the role of female hormones in lung cancer development has also been considered. We hypothesize that driver mutations, which are critical for the development of lung cancer, are triggered by the environmental factors with or without the influence of the hormone. The SWOG-led intergroup molecular epidemiology study S0424 was conducted to focus on these issues by using a detailed questionnaire and specimen collection in statistically significant cohorts of smokers and never-smokers from both sexes. The Japan Molecular Epidemiology for Lung Cancer study follows and extends the S0424 molecular epidemiology concept in principle by using a similar approach that will facilitate future comparisons between the studies but with a greater focus on more recently defined driver mutations and broad genomic sequencing.